He is the 35th President of the United States, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, and she is then the first lady of the United States, Jacqueline Lee Kennedy, and the biggest protagonist of the film. The English name of the film is not "The First Lady of the United States", but Jacqueline's nickname "Jackie (Jackie)" is chosen, the intention is to try to fade away the legendary American president. The political identity and glossy appearance of the first lady of the first lady gave audiences a glimpse into the unknown side of Jackie Kennedy.
The plot of the film originated from an unknown reporter who came to visit Jackie Kennedy, the widow of the former president, and wanted to interview her to learn more about the stories about President Kennedy's life. Of course, he also paid attention to the former first family. The details of life, and what is more inescapable is the investigation after the Kennedy assassination. As the interview progressed, in the loneliness of the surrounding environment, one question after another deepened, and Jackie Kennedy, who seemed to have not yet calmed down, was constantly being reminded of the good and bad memories of the past. It was like sitting on a boat in the depths of the Pacific Ocean, letting the waves of memory push her to and fro, and she was powerless to resist.
The part of the recollection, including the very famous TV host of CBS that she personally led, filmed a TV program that toured the entire White House, and generously showed the American people the results of her work to restore the original appearance of the White House; The classical music performances arranged for various dignitaries in the White House; it also includes everything that happened in the four days after the Kennedy assassination, which is also the most important and the most extensive content of the film.
During the not long two years, ten months and two days in the White House, President Kennedy tried to implement new economic policies at home, promoted the progress of civil rights, vigorously supported the space program, launched the Bay of Pigs incident abroad, and successfully defused Cuban missiles. Crisis, directly involved in the Vietnam War, is recognized as a fairly young and promising American president. Jackie Kennedy, the youngest first lady in history at the time, also had an open and enthusiastic attitude to public attention because of her erudite knowledge, her taste in art and fashion, her charismatic manners, and her passion for public attention. famous all over the world. Seeing such a pair of talented and beautiful women made in heaven, it really makes people feel a little envious of mandarin ducks and not immortals.
But Lee Harvey Oswald's two bullets shattered it all, and President Kennedy passed away, leaving Jackie Kennedy and his son and daughter under his knees to face what was to come. Jackie is like a frightened bird. She feels that she is in a dangerous situation, and she is full of anxiety. Although she is often surrounded by a group of the smartest and most capable people in the United States, she cannot find a shoulder that she can rely on for a short time. Even asking for help is so routine. Only the appearance of her brother-in-law Robert Francis Kennedy (nicknamed Poppy) allowed her to breathe a sigh of relief, feel at ease, and slowly regain her sobriety.
In four days, from the assassination of the president to the burial of the coffin in Arlington National Cemetery to the farewell to the White House, Jackie Kennedy witnessed the changes around him. Watching Vice President Lyndon Johnson take the oath of the presidency aboard Air Force One, seeing her husband's body must undergo an autopsy in the hospital as required by law, and coming home facing her young daughter and son, discreetly telling them that Dad wouldn't When I came back, I decided whether to move the coffin from Congress to St. Matthews Church on foot or by car, and choose the most suitable burial place for my husband... There are always many important questions that she needs to make judgments and give answers. In the eyes of others, she is still the first lady, a member of the Kennedy family, the focus of the public eye, and a mother who has to take responsibility. She must suppress her inner impulses and sadness, and she must be the only one who can do it. It's a task that she can accomplish.
It was only in the dead of night that she could temporarily get rid of the distractions and be alone with herself. She took off her husband's blood-stained coat and stockings, washed the stains on her face and hands, changed into black clothes, and turned the lights on in each room. All turned on, let the gramophone play loudly her husband's favorite opera, poured a good drink, and sat at her husband's desk, as if her husband had not left her and was still by her side, slowly releasing what could not be seen by outsiders. Sadness and pain. But everyone knows how uncomfortable she is. Although she always tries to show herself the attitude of "I am the strongest of all", she often rambles on the people around her, talks to herself, and is helpless. And the look of absent-mindedness is always unbearable to interrupt her. In the end, she survived and gave her husband the most solemn and appropriate funeral in the way she wanted most, showing the solemnity of the first family like royalty.
Unexpectedly, the director of the film, Pablo Larrain, is an up-and-coming Chilean filmmaker who has won many accolades and nominations for art awards for his previous works. It was a surprise to me to be a director. Unexpectedly, there is also the biggest protagonist of the film. Although the number of film and television works about President Kennedy is considerable, the film focusing on Jackie Kennedy, "The First Lady" is really unprecedented. This entry point is very interesting, but The fun doesn't stop there. The film is like a biographical film. The scenes and props are restored to the original appearance of the early 1960s as much as possible. Even the aspect ratio is based on the more traditional 4:3 standard, rather than the 21:9 that is common today. Or 16:9 picture standard to shoot, and also specially added the low-definition effect on TV programs in the 1990s, making the picture seem to be covered with a layer of shallow frosted glass, with a strong graininess, The contrast is not high, and the colors appear relatively single, which is also convenient for seamless connection with the image data left at that time. In terms of emotionality, there is almost no difference. These treatments are quite thoughtful, and the purpose is to create a sense of the times and help the audience to enter the plot, as if entering Jackie Kennedy's side through the screen to feel her emotions.
The main way to enhance the sense of substitution is that director Larain uses a lot of close-up facial close-up shots, and it is the kind of shot that directly faces the front of the face. In short, it is as if the character is in front of you. , looking at you, and the target of pouring out words is you. The closer you get to the real voice of the character, the closer the camera is to the actor's face, giving people an intimate and private experience, and in public occasions with a large number of people, the camera will widen the distance from the main character, as much as possible. It is possible to shoot more panoramas of the entire occasion. This practice is used throughout the entire film, so that the audience can know how much the characters’ real thoughts are expressed at this moment through the distance.
In addition to the change of lens distance as the key method, there is another factor that enhances the effect of substitution, which is background music. When the mood is low, the playing of the cello is used as the main melody. When the mood is relaxed, the bright tones of the flute and violin will appear. When the mind is hesitant, there will be sporadic sounds of the piano. The simple and clear division of labor among several instruments brings significant help. Effect. This depends on the hard work of composer Mika Levy. The 14 original compositions he brought were very helpful to the expression of the film, for which he was nominated for the Best Original Score at the 89th Academy Awards.
The heroine Nikki Kennedy is indispensable in most of the scenes in the film, which gives Natalie Portman, who plays Nikki, the opportunity to fully exert her acting skills, which is also a challenge. She has made a name for herself as an actress since she was a teenager. She has already won the Oscar for Best Actress, but she is still not satisfied with her achievements and continues to try to break through herself in the performing arts. In the film, the camera is filmed on her face, and she is performing to the camera, so close, as if performing under a magnifying glass, any tiny mistakes or flaws can be seen in the picture, and she shows a near-perfect shot. Performance. The slow and graceful pace of speech at all times, the unconcealed trace of loss and sadness on her face after her husband's death, the helplessness before Bobby Kennedy's appearance, the nervousness when she was about to show the White House in front of a national TV audience, Gently yet seriously expressing the desire for her daughter to be sensible, facing the pastor confessing her true feelings and exhaustion to the point of losing her composure, being vigilant and excited in an interview with reporters, the characters who need to be performed in the above episodes The state is different, Natalie Portman seems to be integrated with Jackie Kennedy, and smoothly interprets the posture that this woman should have in these situations. The eyes are all at the top level, and it is worthy of the performance that made her nominated for Best Actress at the 89th Academy Awards.
Although the film is almost a one-man show by Natalie Portman, the supporting cast is also quite eye-catching. Peter Sarsgaard, who played Bobby Kennedy, Billy Crudup, who played the reporter, and John Hurt, who played the priest, are all characters who can get close to the heroine in front of the camera. But it didn't seem that bad to the play, and the task was successfully completed. It should be specially mentioned here that this film should be the farewell performance of the old actor John Hurt in the domestic release of the film. He passed away on January 27 last year, which is regrettable.
It is a pity that "The First Lady" was released in China after a year of delay compared to foreign countries. Fortunately, it is still a film made with domestic capital investment. The total cost is about 60 million yuan. Although it is not high in the United States, the efforts of the main creators on stage and behind the scenes are all presented in the film. There is no room to express the love history and rumors about Jackie Kennedy. The only thing that can be seen is the more intimate interdependence between her and Poppy than others, and the occasional look in their eyes. A little bit of ambiguous feelings, this is not the point that the film wants to express. The film does not highlight any specific themes or spiritual concepts, but just restores some facts and expresses concern for Jackie Kennedy in that special period. She is trying to play the role she should play well. In an environment where a man is in charge, Especially in the top circles of the political arena, who are not willing to be left at the mercy of others, are not afraid to express their opinions, and strive to fight for the greatest dignity for her deceased husband, try their best to protect their children, and put the first My wife's mission is maintained until she leaves the White House. My few words are not enough to summarize the process. I can only say that it is sometimes difficult to decide for yourself.
I want to be interested in historical themes, especially my friends who love biographical films recommend "The First Lady". The serious production attitude ensures that the film tries its best to restore the situation at that time, without any unofficial history and rumors, so that the audience can focus on the Kennedy assassination. Everything that happened after the case, the film does not cover the story for a long time, but the points are still in place, quietly unveiling a corner of the curtain, allowing the audience to glimpse the joys, sorrows and sorrows behind the scenes of political figures; Friends of acting skills strongly recommend "The First Lady". Natalie Portman's performance is impeccable, which is equivalent to her one-man show lasting 100 minutes. In my opinion, the so-called good acting skills are not expressive, The action is wonderful and versatile, but it can stimulate the audience to have a sense of trust from the inside out, which is naturally revealed, that the actor and the characters in the film have been done exactly the same, and sigh that he or she is none other than him or her. Trust Natalie Portman to do exactly that in the film.
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